Like a band of heroes in a castle under siege, the Brandon Wheat Kings have managed to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
The last three games, the Wheat Kings have put forth some excellent efforts despite one of the most extensive injury lists in the WHL. And these players haven’t just been warm bodies either. Top players up and down the lineup at all positions have been on the shelf. At its peak, this injury epidemic had the Wheat Kings down to ten forwards, two of whom had been recalled from other levels of hockey.
The team has weathered the storm, however, and a glimpse of sunshine is starting to poke through those dark clouds. And more than just surviving the rash of injury troubles, the Wheat Kings managed to thrive in spite of them, going 2-1 in those three games where they were at their most injured.
Teams learn a lot about themselves in moments of adversity. Well, the Wheat Kings found out some pretty promising things about their group over the last week. The trick now is not to let themselves believe all their troubles are over just because a handful of players have shed the red no-contact jerseys and appear set to rejoin the team.
After all, another weekend of difficult opponents is ahead. But as was the case last week, at least they get to face whatever challenges await them from the comfort of their own building and their own dressing room.
- The players who needed to step up in the absence of guys like Roger McQueen and Quinn Mantei more or less all did so. Special mention goes to forwards Nolan Flamand and Marcus Nguyen, who are riding three-game goal scoring streaks. Nguyen potted his first shorthanded goal of the season, something he’s been threatening to grab for some time now, and Flamand picked up his second three-point game in the last three contests. Both of those veteran guys have been indispensable lately and have largely led the way in all three zones.
- Meanwhile, the players who most needed to get going with all the injuries got going. Matteo Michels led the way on that front and now has five points in his last three games. Joby Baumuller and Caleb Hadland got in on the scoring as well, with Baumuller now riding a modest two-game point streak and seeming right at home in the more important minutes he’s been given. His stick finally cooperated on a one timer on his first goal (he’s broken them to an almost absurd degree on that sort of shot this year and that’s the sort of luck he’s had) and the result was a missile that the Spokane Chiefs goaltender Dawson Cowan simply had no chance of stopping. He was also just named to NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary list, and if he’s going to shoot like that then look for him to improve on his initial W rating.
- The longest point streak of any Wheat King right now belongs to Jaxon Jacobson, going back to Medicine Hat where he had the assist on Brady Turko’s first of the season. I had a thought today while on a podcast: when Jacobson came into the league, you could tell teams were keying in on his shot, trying to take away the weapon that netted him four goals in seven games during his recall in 2023-24. So, this season, he’s switched to being more of a setup man. His assist on Flamand’s third period goal against the Chiefs was especially impressive. It reminded me of what Brayden Yager had to do in his draft year, after teams started doing anything possible to take away his shooting opportunities following his 30-goal rookie season. He improved his passing play and racked up assists that year, and eventually teams had to start respecting that too and he got more opportunities to rip home pucks. Jacobson is far younger than Yager was at that time, but seems to be making the same adaptation. Eventually, teams are going to start cheating to cover his pass instead of his shot out of necessity. Then more goals will swiftly follow.
- On the note of younger players, congratulations to Gio Pantelas on his first WHL goal! I often tell people getting to call a first goal is one of the little pleasures of this job, and it could hardly happen to a nicer kid than Gio, who is as well-spoken an interview as you’re likely to find. He’s much nicer off the ice than on it, as his physical style is what’s drawn the most attention. In that same vein, Nigel Boehm has been a wonderful player for the Wheat Kings so far who, like Pantelas, plays a heavy style that belies his age. The two of them are often paired together already despite their youth, and you can just tell no one is going to have any fun whatsoever playing against those two.
- If the bevy of injuries taught the Wheat Kings one thing, it’s that they’re not just blowing smoke when they talk about their depth. Case in point: hosting the 8-2 Spokane Chiefs, the Wheat Kings put up more goals than they had at any point this season without their leading goal scorer and (at the time) point getter and without their leading scorer among defensemen. As mentioned, the trick now is to keep the pedal down as reinforcements begin to trickle into the lineup slowly but steadily. Speaking of which…
- It’s too early to go into too many details, but the Wheat Kings are expecting to have at least two of their missing bodies back in the lineup on Friday night, and barring a setback at least one of them will be captain Quinn Mantei. The young defensemen of the Wheat Kings did as well as could be asked of them without him, and they didn’t look like nervous young players by the end, but Mantei’s potential return would improve the Wheat Kings in every possible area of the ice. You add back a player with good puck moving ability, strong skating, a nasty streak that has been fully on display this season, and good awareness in all three zones, and the team instantly becomes better. Getting him back just in time to face Saskatoon would be a huge boost.
Saskatoon, by the way, has not even come close to the drop-off so many (myself included) expected. Like the Wheat Kings, they’ve seen so many players step up, young and old, in the absence of their NHL-bound players from last season. And, also like the Wheat Kings, they’re getting some reinforcements back too. That matchup between the two teams, one of whom is expected to lead the way in the East Division and the other of whom is the current leader, shapes up to make for compelling hockey. Friday night should be a blast.
